Tuesday, September 8, 2009

From the day when the computer was first invented, there have been many changes that the world that can’t be reversed. When the computer was invented it was just a new invention but it wasn’t known for a few years. My guess is that people thought that it was amazing but they most likely didn’t believe that they would become a dependant source for the future.

My opinion of analog versus digital is unbiased. I personally prefer whichever one is better or makes life easier. Not because I am lazy just because it will give me more time to do something else. When I think about the comparison of analog to digital, I think about games. I remember when I was young I always played card games like solitaire and euchre because they were fun and amusing. Well, now many people have stopped playing the “analog” version of card games and play them on the Internet with the rest of the world. I cannot say that I have not done this but I still love the social aspect of the “analog” card playing.

Video games have evolved a revolutionary amount ranging from the original Atari to the newest XBOX 360 or Playstation 3 (http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101050523/console_timeline/). In today’s society, people would rather have the digital games that are played on the television or should I say, the 72” high definition, plasma television. I play the XBOX 360 all the time so I am not going to be hypocritical but I sometimes prefer the analog aspect of video games because you get more of a personal appeal compared to digital where it is more fun but you lose a lot of social interaction. I read a quote once from a Christian book that was comparing objects and it said something along the lines that when the television was first invented, people thought that it was going to fade away in six months or less. Well, they were more than just wrong in that aspect.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

I want to start off by saying I love the movie Rocky because it is a story of a man who becomes a professional boxer because he has the dedication to win and be the greatest. He had to train everyday to become the best both mentally and physically. Rocky went through vigorous exercises to gain his strength and will to survive in the boxing world. In reference to that statement, I had a flashback of my own on September 1, 2009, when I walked up the stairs to the Student Recreational Sports Center (SRSC) which is about a block north of my residence hall, Ashton. I remember the scene at the end of the movie where Rocky runs up the many stairs to where the monument was located. As I was walking up the long stairs of the SRSC I felt that I was doing the exact same thing that Rocky did but without everyone following me; well there was another guy but I don’t think he was there for me though. During orientation, we were given a tour of the facility and I remember them saying it was paid for solely by parking tickets alone. To my amazement, I could see how this was possible because my first day on campus, I received a parking fine because a parking officer told me I could park somewhere that I really couldn’t.

To start off with, when I entered into the SRSC, I was once again amazed by the enormous size of the facility. I looked to my left and I saw an Olympic size swimming pool which instantly reminded me of the Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals. I began walking down the hallway where I was checked in using my student ID. Remembering my days from orientation, I proceeded up the staircase directly to the right of which the check-in counter was located. For nine months out of every year 12 years, I had to get up early for school not only because I was forced due to the educational laws, but because I wanted to. So as I was walking up the staircase at 9:00 am, I was very tired and not fully functioning to the point that I had to grab the stair railing because I almost lost my balance. You could see the treadmills from the top of the stairs so I proceeded in that direction. One thing that I had forgotten was that you had to sign-up to be able to use the treadmills but since it was pretty early in the morning, it had slipped my mind. So, I ran on the treadmill for a mile, and then a girl came and told me that she had signed-up for that half-hour block. I just didn’t understand that why she waited so long to tell me since I was about 10 minutes into her time block.

Secondly, when I was kicked off the treadmill, I decided I would go ahead and lift some weights since that is one of my favorite things to do. This is one of my favorite hobbies because I use to be overweight and as a result of my unhappiness with my body, I decided to lose 80 pounds in 6 months. I stopped regular soda pop cold turkey one day and I have not had one for a complete year now and it was probably one of the best things that I have ever done. While I was working out and losing all the weight, I joined a gym to help the weight loss process. The weight equipment at the gym I attended was very nice and made me want to work out all the time. I would go to the gym at 5:00 am in the morning and go back when I got off work around 9:00 pm. So the equipment at the SRSC reminded me of my old gym and really made it feel like home.

To sum it up, the SRSC won my heart over when I first walked up those long stairs during my two days of orientation but the fact that it is free to all students won me over the most. My walk up the long flight of stairs and the early morning tiredness was all worth it when I got the satisfaction of working out; making it feel like home away from home. I look forward to many trips to the SRSC because I love to workout but I also saw that they have a Wii that is available to be played while you relax.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

I think that informatics is the study of computer with the human interaction. There is not a set definition as to what truly stands for because it involves many different aspects of the computer field. Informatics deals with the relationship between the users and the creators. What does that mean? Well, if you own a dental company and the dentist says he wants a certain application to be on the On-line Registration Form, then with the knowledge of informatics, you will be able to see if it is possible or not. With the knowledge of informatics you will be able to go to the programmers and tell them what they need to do. Since you know whats possible and not, then the programmer cannot tell you something that isn't true. For instance, if the programmer says that its going to take a month to build the website, then you will know that isn't true giving you the option to negotiate it.

When the knowledge of informatics, not only will you be able to work with society in a business approach, but you will also have an understanding as to what is possible and not because you will have experience in the field. Informatics uses its resources to make everyday technology better like the medical field, biology, sports, and many other field that are growing everyday. Informatics is what combines the human interaction with the virtual reaction. This is a very essential part of the computer field because society wants things to be easy and wants it done here-and-now but a lot of times, it just isn't possible. You can say something along the lines that it can be done a certain way now, then as technology grows we can incorporate what you want at the moment.